Community honors Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of service

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Wyatt Magoffin gives a detailed explanation of Community Action to an interested volunteer. (Preston Crawley)

BYU and local communities commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with various service projects in the Wilkinson Student Center as part of Community Outreach Day 2020, organized by BYU Y-Serve.

Participants began arriving at 8:15 a.m. for the anticipated four-hour event. Booths were set up in the WSC Garden Court displaying service projects — 11 on-campus and eight off — to choose from. Participants then moved from the Garden Court to the ballroom where there were doughnuts, a balloon wall photo area and seating for a presentation.

The theme of Community Outreach Day 2020 — keep moving forward — was inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote: “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

Community Outreach Day Executive Director Paige Gifford said the hope of Y-Serve in organizing this event each year is to realize Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of unity. She said together people accomplish more.

“Anything that anybody is able to give, we’re going to take it and be appreciative of it, and this community is going to be too,” she said.

The Debra Bonner Unity Gospel Choir kicked off the event at 9 a.m. with musical performances. Former BYU football and BYU basketball player Danny Frazier then shared a message about accepting help from others.

Debra Bonner leads the opening number performed by the Debra Bonner Unity Gospel Choir. (Preston Crawley)

“When you think about service, you need to think about opportunities not only to serve others,” he said. “Be grateful, be patient and be considerate enough to receive the service and opportunities that might be presented by others to you.”

Program Director Bridger Woods said he believes that focusing on others is a great way to lighten others loads as well as your own.

“As long as you’re doing OK mentally and everything, then everything else that you have, going through it is so much better when you go and help other people,” he said.

Former BYU athlete Danny Frazier delivers a speech in the Wilkinson Student Center Ballroom. (Preston Crawley)

Participants Jillian Anderson, a BYU junior from Mansfield, Texas, and Rachel Morris, a BYU senior from Spring, Texas, registered for “Hearts Knit Together,” which was a booth for volunteers of the non-profit organization and was one of the on-campus projects.

“(Community Outreach Day) brings people together to serve those in need,” Morris said. “We set aside differences and serve one another.”

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